


Inconvenient Facts

by The_Exile



Category: Ys Origin (Video Game)
Genre: Brothers, Community: 40fandoms, Family Issues, Gen, Hugo arc, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 11:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10570275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Exile/pseuds/The_Exile
Summary: Hugo runs into family while on a routine mission.





	

Yet another of the Goddess Statues had been desecrated.

The enemy had been very thorough. The statues weren't just damaged, they had been ritually defiled in a way that reversed the flow of their divine magic, corrupting their nature into the antithesis of everything it once was. Hugo felt nauseous even going near the demonic horned visage that appeared in twisting, roiling black shadows above what had once been a statue of a beautiful winged woman. Dark magic pulsed from it, sapping his life energy and his will, putting malicious thoughts into his head. Every part of himself that he tried to hide from the world - his lust for power, his contempt for the weak, his rivalry with the rest of his family that threatened to turn into actual conflict - seemed to be magnified whenever he went near the debased shrine. 

Like it or not, it was one of his many duties here in Darm Tower to purify any corrupted shrine he came across. The statues of the shrines were vital to everyone's safety and the success of their operation. The immense magic they channelled, each one connected to the others in a vast network leading up the entirety of the twenty-plus floors of the tower, allowed the priests of the seven great families to travel from statue to statue at will, to record echoes of their activities that could be used to assist in healing and even resurrection rituals should the worst happen, to commune with the Goddesses and petition for their magic to be strengthened should they earn such divine favours. In short, the statues meant pretty much everything to the mission, and even though purifying them felt like the magical equivalent of cleaning a kitchen full of dirty dishes after a particularly racuous night at a tavern, it was actually a great responsibility to be trusted with. 

This was why Hugo Fact tolerated it, when he would much rather be using his prodigous magical powers to fight demons, where they would be put to better use and he would be much more likely to be noticed by someone with the authority to promote him to a more fitting rank. Still, finding the statues in the first place meant scouting the Tower, inevitably leading to the necessity of climbing to higher floors, with greater dangers and more interesting challenges for him to face and be recognised as having overcome. 

"One day, I might even meet the nuisance who goes around doing this," he muttered to himself as he ran his hands over the statue, tracing the patterns of runes and focussing his mental energy on specific points in the magic's flow. As he carefully smoothed it out, the dark energy shimmered and gradually turned a silvery blue, its image morphing back into that of the winged Goddess. The success did not improve his mood, as he knew there would only be more, "And once I find that person, I have a fireball aimed right at their..."

"And it's nice to see you too, brother."

Hugo looked up sharply at the mocking voice. Someone had dropped down from the ceiling, a tall, lithe, muscular figure with unruly silver hair, wild eyes, an overconfident grin and a pair of wickedly sharp metal claws strapped to his wrists. He landed on the other side of the statue in a crouch, arms outstretched as if to prepare for a flurry of claw strikes, but he did not attack. Instead, he sneered at the mage as he continued speaking.

"If you must know, your insistence on undoing all our hard work is as irritating to us as we are to you. Why do you think we even bother doing all this? We need to use these facilities as well, and yet the Goddess cruelly rejects us, her light burning us. We must allow inside the welcoming shade of darkness."

"Go and crawl back under the rock you came out of, then," Hugo snapped.

"Oh, you don't mean that, brother. Or don't you recognise me, now I've grown so much more powerful?"

"Your hair makes you look old. You've learned how to scratch people like an animal. Is this supposed to impress me?" Hugo snapped, "I always thought of you as my strong older brother, but I guess you're so stupid, you would even be duped into serving the enemy."

"On the contrary, it's you who would benefit from changing sides. You already know you have a darkness in you. You were born to great power, a lot greater than anything the Goddesses would allow you to grasp hold of. They treat you like a wilful child to be taught obedience. You won't ever grow to your full potential like that."

"I'll become as powerful as I like, despite the Goddesses or anyone else who wishes to oppose me," Hugo replied coldly, "Don't lump me in with those other servants." 

"Prove it, then. Don't throw away opportunities for more power. If you don't want to serve us, I understand. I'm only in this for my own gain myself, to be perfectly honest. But at least see what the other side can offer you. You can play both sides, for all I care. You probably already are, with an intellect like yours."

"Smart enough not to be taken in by charming words," Hugo retorted, "Will you step out of the way and let me do my job or do you want to fight over it?"

"I'm not in the mood for pointless fighting. You'll only come back later. As will one of us, when you're gone. This whole thing is stupid," he sighed, "You should think about what exactly you're trying to achieve, little brother. Don't just go along with their plans. Well, I'm out of here, my mission was only to scout the place anyway. Just as a heads up, someone else might be coming to talk to you. Please try and be polite for once."

"I can't make any promises," replied Hugo, but his brother was already gone. 

He shrugged and went back to work.


End file.
